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about

5 years. That’s how long it’s been since I moved to Winnipeg, fresh out of high school with stars in my eyes and dreams of being a “real” musician. 5 years is how long it has taken me to record some of my own material (with plenty of help and encouragement from friends) to release in a proper manner. Bear in mind the songs themselves are both very new, less than 2 months old from writing to recording.

In that time I’ve graduated from university, become a father, written countless songs and played with a whole pile of bands and people. Most importantly I’ve taken something away from each of those experiences and I think it’s a good thing I’ve waited this long to release anything, looking back through old material can be quite cringe worthy at times.

Although this release consists of only 2 songs I think each song is the polar opposite of the other. One is a loud, fast and in your face fuzzed out rocker; the other is a soft, reflective and melancholic (read: weepy) acoustic tribute to my daughter. Think of it as my Detroit Rock City/Beth A-side/B-side (As an aside: It’s extremely hard to describe your work as an artist to others without sounding like you’re up your own ass, I apologize.)

The recording process was surprisingly smooth save for my woeful lack of recording tech knowledge and a crunch for time that led to me recording one of the song’s vocals with the beginning of a head cold. Let it be noted a million times over that none of this would have been possible without the help of 2 amazing gentlemen and good friends, Chris Froome; who played drums on ‘Figure it out’ and Mike Smith who acted as a man of many hats, doing some engineering, mixing and mastering as well as helping me out with the bits of recording I did by myself with his knowledge and experience.

So what’s with the name? Why Bon Voyage?

The short answer would be because I have impeccable timing; why else would I wait until I’m leaving the continent to finally release material 5 years after I originally intended to? It’s sort of a send off for me I suppose. What would really make it a bon voyage for me is if you would be so kind as to share this music with your friends and give me some feedback on what you think.

HOWEVER, If you decide to throw money at me I will not say no.

credits

released September 15, 2012

Words and music written and performed by Ben Linnick unless otherwise noted